Do you guys remember the famous scene from When Harry Met Sally, in which Sally did her famous “faking-it” scene? And one woman goes “I’ll have what she’s having.” Well, this was filmed at Katz Delicatessen in New York. This deli was opened in 1888 and to this day, remains a popular restaurant amongst locals, tourists (like us), politicians, and celebrities.

We had the opportunity to visit Katz during both of our visits to New York in 2007 and 2008. Daniel swears that this is by far the best pastrami he’s ever tasted, and I myself, am not a fan of pastrami, but after taking my first bite, I was convinced that pastrami is my friend. The meat is extremely moist and tender, with a hint of smokiness.

To make a long story short, we received an overnight package from our friend in New York, who sent us a whopping 4.5 lbs of pastrami as our wedding gift. Obviously, there is no way we can eat this in one sitting, as we’d be asking for a massive heart attack. So we’ve decided to eat it little by little and squirrel the rest away for a rainy day. We love Katz Deli!

To learn more about Katz Deli or to order some for yourself, visit their website: www.katzdeli.com.

The package included a short note from Paul Yu who graciously sent us the pastrami. He wanted to make sure we blogged about it, so here's our proof! Thanks Paul, you really shouldn't have.

Pastrami is typically brined, partly dried, seasoned with various herbs and spices, then smoked to perfection.

We didn't hesitate to slice the pastrami as soon as we got it. To be honest, I don't think Daniel had a problem with having Katz Deli for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I didn't load up my pastrami like they do in New York, but it was still a mouth-watering image. The pastrami on rye with dijon mustard complemented each other well. I believe there's a reason why I think this pastrami stands out from the rest - it melts in your mouth and leaves your taste buds wanting more. And luckily in our case, we still have more!

5 Responses to “Katz Delicatessen in New York – World’s Best Pastrami”

OMG, what a fun, inventive and wonderful wedding gift! Love it! I’m with you on not loading up the sandwich either … I can never handle those giant sammies and end up taking half of them home. As for breakfast … pastrami and eggs is another NY classic.

Kaity, you are so lucky to be in the epicenter of all the good food! Katz is great when it’s fresh at the restaurant… not so much when it’s been in the freezer at our place. But hey, we’re still devouring it!

I AM NOT FROM THE STATES AND HAVE ONLY BEEN TO NEW YORK ONCE (LAST YEAR WITH MY STEP DAD, WE WENT FOR CHINSES FOOD [I WISH WE HAD A KOSHER CHINESE FOOD PLACE HERE IN CALGARY ALBERTA]), I LOVE PASTRAMI, SMOKED MEAT AND OTHER DELICIOUS MEATS, THAT PASTRAMI OF YOURS LOOKS VERY DECADENT! NEXT TIME I’M IN NEW YORK (WHEN I MOVE THERE TO GO TO YESHIVAH) I WOULD LOVE TO TRY IT, IS IT KOSHER?!